Category: in the news

Two days ago, I received a text message from my father. It was a forwarded message that he had received from his friend Mads, a Norwegian doctor currently in Gaza. The message made a very strong impression on me, and after pondering on it a few days I feel I have to share it with as many people as possible. The text message is obviously in Norwegian, but I’ve translated it for you.

“They bombed the central vegetable market in Gaza city two hours ago. 80 injured. 20 killed, everything is coming to Shifa. Hades! We are up to our knees in death. Blood and amputated parts. A lot of children. A pregnant woman. I have never experienced anything this horrible in my life. We are now hearing tanks. Spread the message, forward the message, shout it out. DO SOMETHING! DO MORE! We’re living on the pages of history right now.
Mads G. 3.1.09 13:50 Gaza, Palestine”

I hope you understand why I can not sit here with these messages from my father’s friend and not show everyone. I’m safe and comfortable in my own home, and it’s so easy to close your eyes and ears to what is going on out there. Don’t close your eyes. Read. Watch. Listen. And most importantly – talk about what’s happening. Don’t let it be ignored.

I think this is awesome. So many old people have problems that could just be solved by them living with family or at least not living on their own – like for the most part being able to look after themselves, but just getting anxious because they live alone.

Saddam Hussein has been executed by hanging at a secure facility in northern Baghdad for crimes against humanity.

Iraqi TV said the execution took place just before 0600 local time (0300GMT). A representative of the prime minister and a Sunni Muslim cleric were present.

[…]

Saddam Hussein was led up onto the gallows platform and a dark piece of cloth placed around his neck, followed by the noose.

When the hangman stepped forward to put the hood over his head, Saddam Hussein made it clear he wanted to die without it.

The hanging itself was not broadcast.

Saddam Hussein’s rule

In pictures
The execution procedure took just a few minutes.

My first reaction is… that it’s all happened very quickly. Usually there are appeals and stuff and it takes ages before someone is executed.

I still don’t feel that execution is the right thing to do, for anyone, even someone like Saddam Hussein who has done so many terrible things.

US President George W Bush hailed the execution as “an important milestone” on the road to building an Iraqi democracy, but warned it would not end the deadly violence there.

I hope it’s not “an important milestone”. The rebuilding of Iraq shouldn’t be based on death and it’s not like his execution is actually going to magically solve the problems there. Argh. I don’t know. I don’t agree with the death penalty, but I don’t know what I would have done instead (well, apart from less of a shambles of a trial, less of a shambles of a war, less of a war). In some ways, I’m glad that I don’t have to make any of these kinds of decisions myself.